The Dark Phoenix's Song
by MissRevolutionary
Summary: Post HBP. Harry is about to leave Hogwarts in search of Horcruxes when he finds a strange woman, Ginny, from ten years in the future. But what kind of world does she come from and why will she do anything to keep it from happening? Includes GWRL, HGRL,
1. I Must've Come Back

**Disclaimer: **I'm poor and I'm not published, do you think I'm JK Rowling?

**By the way: **This is going to have GW/RL, and HG/RL, don't read if you don't like them, 'cause I love them.

That said, onward!

**The Dark Phoenix's Song **

It had been two months since the end of Harry's sixth year. He, Ron, and Hermione had remained at Hogwarts over the summer. That way, the teachers who stayed over the summer and the headmistress, McGonagall, could make sure they were safe. Members of the Order made regular visits and Bill and Fleur (married) and Lupin and Tonks (engaged) had taken up residence there as well.

In the midst of the mourning that still went on, Ron and Hermione had become more or less comfortable there, but Harry was like a caged animal, constantly angry and constantly on edge.

At that moment, Ron and Hermione were sitting next to one another in their deserted common room, watching Harry and holding hands. Over the past month, Ron had asked Hermione to be his girlfriend, and she had accepted. Harry was pacing across the room.

"I have to do something," Harry said angrily. "He's out there and I have to find him! At the very least I should be out looking for Horcruxes."

Hermione sighed quietly. "Harry, you know they wouldn't keep you here if it wasn't too dangerous. You're our only hope; of course they're trying to protect you. When the time comes, you'll know it."

"I don't need to be protected! I need to go out and fight!" Harry shouted. "I'm not a child!"

Hermione, after so long, lost her temper. "Well, you're acting like one! Of course you need to go out and fight, and you will, but for once in your life you need to trust that someone else might know what's best for you!"

Harry was shocked into silence for a moment. "I know, Hermione," he said finally. "But I know the time is now."

Ron had a strange look one his face. "Harry," he said in a quiet voice. "You know I don't want you to get hurt, but if you think you have to leave, I'm coming with you."

Harry thought about arguing, but he knew he needed Ron. He needed both of them. "Hermione?" he asked.

She looked at his face for a long time. "Okay, Harry," she said.

Harry nodded. "Then we have to go, now." With that he walked straight out of the common room.

Ron and Hermione had to run to keep up with him as he walked out the portrait hole. Once they were out in the hall, Hermione asked, her voice taunt, "Where exactly are we going, Harry?"

"The passage to Hogsmeade. I have my cloak and whatever else we'll need there already."

They walked in silence for a time, and then Ron asked. "Then where?"

Harry didn't answer. He ran toward a crumpled shape lying in the hallway. The young woman whose face he turned toward them had long, flame red hair, pale skin, and was the most beautiful creature Harry though he had ever seen. She was wearing a plain white T shirt with a few smudges of dirt on it, and patched, faded blue jeans.

Ron spoke up, "She looks like Ginny," he said in a hushed voice. And so she did. She looked like an adult version of Ginny.

All thoughts of leaving forgotten, Harry turned to his friends. "I think we'd better get Professor McGonagall."

Three days later.

Harry woke with a start, his head lying on the bed next to the young woman he'd found. As he had spent most of his time by her side, falling asleep there was not a common occurrence. This time, as always, her looked at her sharply, as if he was expecting her miraculously to awaken at any moment.

But she wasn't. He reached out and brushed a stray hair from her eyes. She'd had no identification and neither Ron nor Bill could identify her as a relation. He couldn't help wondering who she was, or what she was like.

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing him she jerked back, frightened. "W-where am I?"

"Hogwarts," he answered. "You're safe."

She mouthed 'Hogwarts', her face showing fear and confusion. "What?" she breathed. Then, as if realizing something she asked, "When?"

Harry didn't understand, but he answered, "1996."

"What?" she yelped. "But… I'm from 2006. I must've… I must've gone back…" She smiled at him nervously. "I haven't seen you for a long time."

Harry swallowed. He knew he shouldn't just accept she came from the future, but he wanted to believe anything that came out of her lovely mouth. "You'd better not say anything else," he said, managing a smile. "It could destroy your future… and… you know."

She smiled grimly. "Oh, but I intend to do just that. I intend to destroy it," she told him.

"It can't be so bad," he managed.

She smiled sadly at him, "Oh, but it can."

"Well, then," he said, swallowing and sticking out his hand. "I'm Harry. Of course, you already know that, but…"

"Gin," she said. "Call me Gin."

Harry broke into a smile. "You are Ginny!" he said. "I was sure it was you," he told her.

"I was, yeah," she said.

That was when Ron and Hermione came in. Harry looked up at them. "Gin's from the future," he said. "And she'll tell us anything, because she wants to change things." He thought he saw Gin smile at his enthusiasm.

"How can you have come back in time?" Hermione asked in a low voice. She was clearly skeptical.

Gin opened her mouth and then closed it again. Then she closed her eyes and then flinched, remembering. "I was dueling someone, and then they cursed me." Her eyes snapped open. "I knew I'd never heard the words he said before. It must've been to send me back in time, but why would he want me to… and why now… what happened…" She turned to them, snapping out of her trance. "Well, any questions for me, about my time?"

"You told me you haven't seen me for a long time," Harry said, "What did you mean?"

"Well," Gin said. "I did see you not long ago, but we haven't spoken in years."

Harry swallowed. He couldn't understand not speaking to the Ginny he knew, or this woman for that matter, for years. "How'd that happen?"

"I'm not quite ready to tell you that," she said.

"How about me?" Ron asked after a moment of silence, looking around to see if anyone else would ask first.

"You're dead," she whispered. Ron paled.

Hermione spoke up. She still looked uncertain that Gin was telling the truth. "Am I alive?"

Gin nodded, swallowing, "Yeah, you are." She looked sad and paler even than when Harry had found her. "But you're in a vegetative state. We don't think you'll ever wake up again."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Did Harry defeat Voldemort?"

Gin sighed, and though she spoke quietly her words rang throughout the room. "No."


	2. Things Change

Now I will proceed to do a very bad thing to my least favorite character and I wouldn't have needed to if JK hadn't… anyway, you'll see what I mean. I used to like her, so don't kill me it's JK's fault… end of rant.

**Disclaimer: **As you can probably tell from the above rant, I'm not JK Rowling. If I was, things would be different.

Recap

Hermione pursed her lips. "Did Harry defeat Voldemort?"

Gin sighed, and though she spoke quietly her words rang throughout the room. "No."

End of Recap

After a moment of uncomfortable silence Ron spoke. "Well," he said. "We can see why you would want to change it."

"I suppose you do," Gin said.

Hermione swallowed and spoke. "I just talked to Tonks. She's coming to check on you-"

"Tonks?" Gin repeated, her voice icy.

"Yeah," Harry said, looking at Gin's face. Her eyes had hardened immediately; she looked angry.

They didn't have to wait long for Tonks to arrive. "Well," she said, with a welcoming smile on her face, either not seeing or choosing to ignore Gin's clear hostility. "We've been wondering when you'd-"

She didn't get to finish. Gin had stood up. "Let's take a walk, Nym," she said coldly.

"Are you sure you should-" Harry asked, worried.

"Oh, it's all right, Harry," Gin said, giving Tonks a frosty smile. "I can walk for this. Come on."

They were gone for about fifteen minutes, and when they came back Tonks was white as a sheet and Gin had a strange, mirthless smile locked on her face. When they were standing very close to Harry, Ron and Hermione, Tonks spoke, her voice quivering a little. "Well, I'm not quite ready for it to end like this," she said.

Before anyone could really act she'd pulled out a wand and began, "_Avada_-"

She didn't manage to finish. A voice from the door shouted, "**_Petrificus Totalus_." **Remus Lupin entered the room, holding Tonks' wand as well as his own. "Now," he said, a little breathlessly, "What is going on?"

Gin, who had pulled out her wand and was staring, a little pale herself, at Lupin, said. "She's a Death Eater. Give her Veritaserum, you'll see."

"What?" Lupin whispered.

Gin sat down on her bed, looking drained. "It didn't go so neatly last time," she said softly.

"Neatly," Hermione repeated, looking around.

Gin looked around numbly, seeming not to notice everyone else's shock in her own thoughts. "I'm already changing things, at least." She looked up at Lupin. "She did it for you. To protect you, if that's any comfort."

"It isn't," Lupin answered. He was silent for a moment, then, "Forgive me, who even are you?" he asked, his eyes closed and his face still a little shocked.

Gin turned to look at him. "I'm from ten years in the future. That's how I know all this. I was cursed and sent back here. Someone knew that the day I came back was a turning point." She thought for a moment, and then looked up sharply. "Harry, where were you going when you found me?"

"Well," Harry stammering. He'd thought no one would find out. "We were just- well-"

Gin smiled knowingly. "You were leaving."

Harry nodded sheepishly.

Gin laughed. "That's it, then. I can fill in the rest from here. You're headed to Hogsmeade, you don't find me, and so you keep walking. Of course, to get to the passage, you have to pass Remus and Nym's chambers. Hermione makes a decision. She slips by while you aren't looking, and tells them what you're doing. She's worried about you. And then it starts. You see, for a while what remained of the Order considered time travel, to undo the past, but no one knew where to start. We couldn't keep James and Lily from dying, that would leave Voldemort to go undefeated for years, keeping him from ever existing would have been too difficult, given no one would know where to begin… Remus decided it was impossible to decide when any one event began, there were too many little pieces, too many possible beginnings, but," she said, turning to Lupin, "You may have been wrong about this one event. It was the beginning of a great many things we'll all regret." She shook her head, laughing a little, and looked at the ground. "I'm proud of you, Draco Malfoy. You did it."

"Draco Malfoy?" Hermione repeated.

Gin looked up at her, then Harry and Ron, and then at Lupin. "All right. Tomorrow we'll get all the Order who can come, and I'll describe everything to the extent that I know it. In this case, I think my abilities will come in handy."

"Abilities?" Harry asked.

"Now and again, I can transfer memories by touching. We'll get around to why," she added. "It works something like this." As she walked passed him, she brushed Lupin's hand. He had been looking at Tonks' frozen figure, but after a few moments of staring blankly into space his head whipped around and he stared at Gin.

"But… I don't…" he whispered. "I don't…"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Not now. But I didn't love you once, either. Things change." She squeezed his shoulder, and Harry noticed a gold band on her finger. Then she walked slowly out of the room.

**Author's Note: **There you go. Now, thou shalt review, or I shall not write. I have better things to do. I swear.


	3. Meals and Arguments

All right. I am writing even though the only person who has reviewed me lives in the same building as I do. Grumbles. There is also the fact that I will be returning to dial up soon and I don't know how I'm going to publish then. Review, dammit!

**Disclaimer: **It isn't mine. Stop asking. It hurts my self esteem. I don't even know how I should start this chapter.

As it turned out, all the members of the Order who could come weren't very many after all. There was Professor McGonagall, Lupin, Bill, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley, who couldn't stop fawning over Gin, but nearly everyone else was too busy. "I told you they were working," Hermione had hissed at Harry. "You don't have to do everything yourself, you know."

When they all filed into Gryffindor common room, where Gin had decided the meeting should be held, Gin was talking to Lupin. "Did you speak to Tonks?" she asked, her eyes a little sad.

He nodded. "I didn't have to use Veritaserum. She just told me," he said, a little bleakly. She hugged his shoulder.

Gin looked around. "Is everyone here? All right. Well, I'll begin then. Thanks to a brilliant idea Harry had, I'll be able to show you all the memories at once instead of having to show them to each of you at a time. I'll explain why we can't use a Pensieve later on. Now, as much as I would like to begin chronologically, it doesn't always work that way, so we'll start with what we have. This happened about a year ago. As you can see, I am not present. I'm sorry if it is a little sudden."

Before Harry was even ready, he felt he was standing in a small room, an office, with a portrait on the wall of a young woman he recognized, with surprise, to be Hermione, and a mahogany desk in the middle of it, piled with books and papers. Remus Lupin sitting at the desk, his hair almost entirely grey, and his face even more lined and worried than the one he knew. He was writing something in a small red book, a worried expression on his face.

There was a young woman standing in the doorway, who Lupin clearly did not see, smiling fondly at him. Harry recognized her as Luna Lovegood, but she was different. He eyes were sadder, and the dreaminess he had come to associate with her was gone from her smile and just about everything about her. She was wearing a sensible black skirt and suit and her hair was in a sensible French roll. She rapped on the door gently.

Lupin looked up and smiled. "Luna," he said, standing up.

She walked over quickly and embraced him. "It's good to see you," she said. "Though I never seem to come with good news."

"Sit down," he said, gesturing to an armchair. Then he sat down at his desk.

"We're going to have to close down, Remus," she said quietly. "I have virtually no staff, and I've lost family. You know I'm not easily discouraged, but if we keep it up I'm not sure what'll happen. And we have so few allies now. People only see what the Dark Lord wants them to see. Seems everyone believes I publish nonsense."

"You're right of course. I couldn't ask you to risk it any further."

"There is one more thing Remus. If there are still people who will believe the truth and want to know what's going on I'll still write for them. If you could get copies to those people I'd be so-"

He reached over and squeezed her hand. "You don't even need to ask. But there is one more thing."

"Yes?"

"If we do this and it is found out, I'm not sure I can protect you anymore, and Neville's arm only reaches so far. If he interferes I don't think Voldemort will suffer him to be in power much longer."

She nodded. "He would interfere," she said, smiling slightly. "I suppose that's the problem."

"Luna," Lupin said sharply, coming over to grab her by the shoulders. "I am not saying that I object to you two. As it was once said, it's good to know there's a little more love in world. But his wife's death came very hard on him, and yours would come even harder. I'm sure you can appreciate that I know what I am talking about, as what happened to my wife came very hard on me. I'm warning you, that's all. Do you understand?"

"You think I'll be a danger to him?"

"I think you will be a danger to each other. But you're grown now and you can make your own decisions. Who am I to stand between you? Hmm?" he asked, making her look at him.

She opened her mouth.

He turned away and walked over to the window. "We are not having this argument again."

"Gin's my best friend. If I don't speak for her, no one will. She's seen more people she knows die then she probably thought she'd ever know! I think she's quite ready to decide how and when to risk her life." He looked over at his shoulder at her. She analyzed his expression, looked at the floor and allowed herself a smile. "But we are not having this argument again."

He smiled a little back at her. "No, we are not."

She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you at dinner, then."

His eyebrows went up comically. "Dinner?"

"Gin's cooking," she said, and laughed as she left the room. "We are having one of those Weasley family style get-together's." Lupin looked terrified.

As the memory faded, Harry saw Gin laughing, a little sadly. She smiled at Harry. "I can't cook a passable meal to save my life."

"What was he- I, I suppose-, saying about Neville?" Lupin asked.

Gin smiled slightly. "He became headmaster of Hogwarts. Now, Voldemort may not have any qualms about killing whoever stands in his way, but he hasn't made a move in years. His, mouthpiece, as it were, the Minister for Magic, is a little hesitant about killing people in power, so he attacks those they care about. This may also come from the fact that unlike Voldemort, he understands that there are worse things than dying. And Neville's wife's death _did _come very hard on him, but that was years ago. He and Luna were engaged last I saw them." She turned to Lupin. "You didn't think it was a good idea when this little scene occurred, but lately any criticism would be funny coming from you."

"Oh?" Lupin asked.

She grinned at him. There was something in the way she smiled that made Harry understand that however bleak her time may have been, she now and again managed to make the best of it. "Yes. Now then, why don't I make us dinner?"

Although only Mrs. Weasley may have tried her cooking as yet, everyone managed to look sufficiently traumatized.

**Nattou-sama:** There are a lot of us running around, I'll have you know. You just have to look (But I think I like HG/RL a little better).

**Author's Note: **REVIEW, DAMMIT. Don't know when I'll update again. Curse dial up connections!


	4. How is This Not a Good Thing?

I'm sorry about what I do to the Harry in Gin's time, but he has a chance to make it better. If it makes you too angry, I apologize. You can always stop reading. I am also sorry if Draco seems a little OOC, but it sort of turned out that way. Also, if I seem to have changed my mind on something I was saying earlier, the truth is I did change my mind. I am imitating JK Rowling (I will try not to rant about that).

**Disclaimer: **Clearly, I am not JK Rowling. In fact, I have only slightly more money than a friend of mine. Sorry guys, in-joke.

"You know, Gin, this actually isn't half bad," Lupin managed. Mrs. Weasley was even able to nod.

Gin snorted.

Harry considered what he himself was eating. The pasta severely undercooked, and he didn't want to think about what was in the sauce.

"Well," Gin said. "I just felt you should know what you were going to be subjected to for a very long time. Until it becomes absolutely necessary, however, I think someone else should do the cooking."

Even Lupin had to agree.

"Now," Gin said. "I've been sorting through memories and I think we'll be able to start from the beginning soon. Until then, I would like to get some sleep."

The next morning.

"We have a little bit of an issue. Actually, it's probably a good thing, because now I really have to explain myself," Gin told them the next morning. "I've only just been informed."

"What is it?" Lupin asked.

"Seems someone else came back with me. It is good, though, he can help me. I just want you all to promise not to do anything stupid."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Draco. The ghosts have been taking care of him. Again, Harry, don't do anything I'll regret."

"What?" Harry asked, indignantly.

Gin laughed a little. "I know you a little too well for that, Harry," she said. The next thing Harry knew, they were all in some obscure room of the castle. There was a bed, and Draco Malfoy, age twenty-seven, was lying there. He was awake, but was trying not to look at Gin.

She walked a little closer to him and crossed her arms. "You did this," she said. He nodded, almost imperceptibly. "You sent me back here." He nodded again. "You broke my coffee table!" She pointed at him violently. "And my favorite mug!" He nodded again. She sat down on the bed. "Why?"

"Well," he said, folding his hands. "I was paid a visit by an old… friend. Who had an idea."

"Who?" Gin asked.

"Harry Potter," Malfoy said.

Harry stomach dropped. "I did what, now? Since when was I an old friend?" he added. Especially after what had happened only a few months ago.

"Oh, don't worry, Potter," Malfoy snapped. "We've never been friends. I was trying to be delicate. That said, I will continue. He marched and proclaimed that he could change things. The spell, loathe as I am to admit it, was his idea."

"And what did you tell him?" Gin asked.

"Well, I told him he was insane and to get out of my house," he said. "I was still somewhat in shock. How would you have felt, having him show up at your door?"

"And then you went straight to my house and tried it on me?"

"Of course not! I studied it thoroughly and found it to be sound. Nobody likes the way things turned out, Gin."

"Well," she said. "I will of course make the best of things. However, I feel the need to say that no matter how bad things could get, there were good things about my life, and I think-"

"Gin," Malfoy said, slowly. "Tell me again. What are three good things about your life?"

She sighed. "My husband," she said, smiling a little. "My friends. And my family."

Malfoy rolled his eyes a little at the friends and family bit. "Gin," he said. "How is this not a good thing? Your husband is here. He is younger, he is happier, and if I recall my dates correctly he is one tragic relationship short at this point. Your friends are here, true they're a touch a younger than you, but they're happy, for Merlin's sake! And they're alive! Hermione's here. Luna and Neville and everyone else are here. Harry's here! Even I'm here! Two of me! You can pick and chose. If I remember right I used to be a lot less jumpy. And, finally, your whole miserable family is here, some of them being less objectionable than others. But even if I said that they were all a disgusting bunch of blood traitors and I hated every single one of them, I would not be speaking ill of the dead. So I ask you once again, how is this not a good thing!"

"Okay, Draco. I probably haven't thought this through half as much as you have. It's fine." She patted him on the hand. "It's fine." She looked over her shoulder at the Order members and shrugged.

Harry mouthed, "What's wrong with him?" Malfoy had always been strange, but this was something else altogether.

Malfoy saw Harry's unsubtle question and glared. "Well, how would you feel," he snapped, "If you were me, hmm?"

"Pretty damn awful," Harry muttered irritably.

"I wasn't finished. How would you feel if you were me? If you had only just escaped being killed by Lord Voldemort because you can never do anything right, and you've ended up having to do a lot of terrible things in order to rise and finally you reach the position of third, maybe fourth in command, and then you are replaced, in fact everyone is eventually replaced in his favor, by Harry bloody Potter! And then, you are taken in by a bunch of traitors and half-breeds, and despite your obvious discontent given the situation, you eventually reach the point where, when asked, you find yourself saying your two best friends are a Weasley and a werewolf! Now, tell me, how would you feel! 'Pretty damn awful' is probably right on the mark!"

"You said I what?" Harry asked sharply, still a little stunned.

"Harry," Gin said, pacifistically, "What you have to understand about that is that you-"

"No, I want to hear what he saying," Harry shouted. "You said I was-"

"All right, Potter, I'll explain, since Gin clearly doesn't want to. Not that I blame her, of course. You'll have to help me, though, Gin."

"Okay," she said quietly.

"As I recall, you leave the castle to go looking for Horcruxes. Granger stays behind," Draco began, giving Hermione a sarcastic smile.

She snorted at the smile.

It faded a little. "I do hold you in the highest esteem," he told her in a low voice, pursing his lips. "You are very brave. While we're paying our respects, you too, Weasley," he added, jerking his head at Ron. "That said, I will continue. That's probably the start of Potter's problems; he's starting to feel betrayed. What's the day, by the way?"

Harry told him.

"I see. Then we'd better start getting ready for a Death Eater attack, there should be one tomorrow night."

"He's right," Gin said. "There should still be one. Nothing should be that different yet."

Malfoy nodded and continued. "We have more people at Hogwarts this time around, and we're prepared for it, so things shouldn't end as badly. In our time, however, this attack and subsequent others at nearly all the Order's hiding places severely depleted it."

"How did they know where everyone was?" Lupin asked. "Nym?"

Gin nodded. "We think there was someone else too, who was killed in one of these attacks. We never found out whom."

"At any rate," Malfoy took over. "By the time Harry finds his next Horcrux, a new Order has been formed, because Voldemort's minions are everywhere. Things are arguably worse than they were in the first war. By September, even students with sufficient magical talent are admitted. Hermione, of course, Neville, Luna and Ginny," he nodded his head at Gin. "Remus is the leader, of course. Bill and Fleur are still there, and all the other Weasley's. Tonks is still on our side at this point, and Professor McGonagall is still around. Hagrid gets his wand back; at this point it is generally accepted that those kinds of laws don't matter anymore. All the Death Eaters are out of Azkaban, the dementors have joined Voldemort. You get the picture."

"You said 'our side,' you hadn't joined by then, had you?" Harry asked, still not sure what he thought of the idea.

"No. Even at this moment I'm probably at home. Severus manages to hide me until the Dark Lord forgets about my little failure. Or at least enough to let me back into the club. I'm too insignificant to do any damage until he loses a few people, then I rise in rank and he's willing to forget it entirely. That said, I can see Mr. Potter won't be comfortable until he hears more about himself, so I'll talk about that for a while."

Harry sighed. So Malfoy hadn't changed much after all, not that he'd been optimistic. And he did want to hear about himself, but only because he simply refused to believe he would ever end up on Voldemort's side. Ever.

"Well. I don't know half as much about isolated incidents as Gin does, and I'm sure she'll be able to explain better when we have more time. But it's something like this: Potter goes a little crazy," Malfoy said in an icy voice with an even icier smile.

"Draco," Gin said. "Be nice."

"Yes, Gin." He turned to Harry. "Not only are you completely obsessed with finding the Horcruxes at this point, you don't trust anyone anymore, with the possible exception of Ron. So, one day, it gets to the point where there isn't anything that isn't worth being risked in order to make progress. So Weasley even gives up on you too."

Harry looked over at Ron, who stared back at him. At this point Harry didn't particularly care who these people were, he didn't want to believe a word they said. But Ron looked so pale that Harry had to make a joke. "If I ever do go crazy, whatever he means by that, and do something really stupid, I give you permission to leave me."

"Thanks," Ron managed.

Gin took over at that point because she could tell Draco's way of explaining things wasn't helping anyone. "Then Ron gets killed by someone you think in on our side, and…"

"And I just suddenly decide to be best mates with Lord Voldemort?" Harry shouted.

"Harry it is much more complicated than that," Gin told him in a hiss. "I swear I will give you a full explanation as soon as I can, but right now we need warn as many members of the Order that we can."

Harry was still angry, and he still didn't believe a word she said, but something in her voice made him nod.

She squeezed his shoulder and looked up at Lupin, giving him a strange smile. "If Death Eaters really come tomorrow, will you believe us?" she asked.

Matching her smile perfectly he replied, "You could _be_ a Death Eater and know that. You could be telling us all this for Merlin only knows what reason. But I never said I didn't believe you."

"But of course you don't," she said, smiling again. "You hide it well, but none of you fully believe me, especially now. And I don't blame you, especially you, Harry. But if there's a way I can prove I'm telling the truth I'll be happy to hear it. Harry? Remus? Anyone?"

Harry considered. There was one thing he could think to ask her, but it was very possible that even if everything she said was true, Gin wouldn't know. Still, it was something no one knew about but him. "What happened in the cave, the day I found the locket with the first Horcrux? "

Gin smiled. "Good Harry. I do know that one."

And then she told him, all the way down to the last detail. No one was sure whether to be relieved, or devastated.

"She still could be lying," Ron told Harry later on.

Harry wasn't sure what to think.

**Author's Notes: **

**360Hazard: **I don't write just for reviews, but if nobody likes what I'm writing I want to know because I could be writing something else (i.e. the pieces of writing people pay me for). Also, don't feel alone, I'm lost too.

**i-am-invisible:** Thanks a lot! I know what you mean about things being sudden, but I wasn't sure what to do to slow it down. When I get finished I'll probably rewrite it, and by then I'll have gotten my bearings.

**ForeverBetrayed: **Thanks.

**Nattou-sama: **Like I emailed, don't kill me.


	5. The First Battle

**Disclaimer: **You've heard this before, guys. Isn't mine. How depressing (for me, that is).

A few hours later, they had contacted as many members of the Order as they could to warn them of tomorrow's coming attack. They said a Death Eater member of the Order had found themselves having a change of heart and warned them. They didn't want Voldemort knowing about Gin for as long as possible, if there was indeed a spy among them.

When they had finished warning everyone they could track down, Malfoy asked to use the floo.

Gin turned to look at him. "Oh, Draco," she said, looking sorrowful, " I'd forgotten."

He took some powder and shouted at the fire, "Malfoy Manor."

Harry recognized the woman in sitting room as Draco's mother, Narcissa. She was already pale, but seeing Malfoy made her lose even more color.

"Hello," Draco said quietly.

"Are- Are you a relation of my husband?" she asked him, looking terribly frightened.

"Yes," he said, after considering. "I'm here to help you."

"If you want to help me," she said. "Find my son."

Malfoy considered, smiling slightly. "Oh, he'll manage. Right now, I'm more worried about you. Come on," he said, reaching out to her. "You'll be safer where I am."

"I don't know," she said, looking ever more frightened. "Maybe I should pack some…"

"Come on," he said, gently but firmly. "I only want to help you."

Gin whispered to Remus, who was standing beside her. "In our time, she was killed soon after this."

Narcissa finally nodded and climbed through the floo.

As soon as she was standing in front of her, Malfoy embraced her. She stiffened. "Hello, mum," he said.

"Draco?" she said. "How can you-"

"It's a long story," he said, smiling a little.

"Now, then," Gin was saying, after she had gathered together everyone who was still in the castle and could fight. "I think we should go into this with at least something resembling a plan."

"Generally we-" Ron began.

"I know what you usually do, Ron," Gin replied. "I was with you and your and friends most of the time. That is not a plan. And what the Order generally did does not count as a plan either, Remus," she added when he opened his mouth.

"Ah," he said.

Malfoy seemed to be the only one who understood what she'd meant. "I'm going after my father. He was here tonight, probably in a final attempt to reingratiate himself with the Dark Lord."

Gin shook her head, smiling a little. "Such a lovely family you have there, Draco."

"How about you?" he asked.

She smiled craftily. "I was thinking of Bellatrix."

Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you should-"

Gin patted him on the shoulder. "I killed her once, I can do it again." she told him. "What about you?"

Lupin shrugged and then imitated Gin, saying, "I was thinking of Greyback."

"Good one," she said. After that, Fleur, McGonagall, Hermione, Ron, and the various other Weasley's chose several less important death eaters apiece.

"I'm going after Snape," Harry said flatly.

Gin gave him a sad look. "Oh, I'd almost forgotten," she said. "I think I'd better do that. I need to talk to him."

"You don't think I can do it?" Harry asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm not saying that, Harry. I'm just saying there are a lot of things that need to be cleared up. I promise you will get closure about what happened to Dumbledore. I promise."

There was something in her expression that made him nod.

"All right. I'm going after Snape, then." She said, sighing quietly. "That leave's Bellatrix a lot of time to do damage. I want her dueling from the start."

"I'll do it," Lupin said.

She shook her head. "And before you say anything, you can't, Harry. I have something else for you to do, and I promise you'll get plenty of action eventually."

Harry was not pleased, but he said nothing.

Hermione volunteered. "I'm sure I could," she said, quietly.

Gin looked at her. "I know you could. At this point, no one quite knows everything you're capable of. Still, there are a lot of very important things for you to do in this battle. I don't want risk it."

"Who, then?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm not sure, unless…" her voice trailed off as she thought. "Unless," she said again, more firmly, and left the room.

Gin sat down next to Nymphadora Tonks where she crouched in the dungeons. Tonks looked up at her. "You here to kill me?"

Gin shook her head. "I'm going to ask you a favor." When Tonks stared at her incredulously, she put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "I know why you did it," she said. "And I understand better than you know. So, I'm asking you, could you really give a damn about their cause?"

Tonks shook her head. "I'd fight them, but-"

"But?" Gin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But I don't know how we could possibly win. Every one of these people could die, and Remus may be able to do that, fight with that knowledge, but I'm not so sure. I'm just trying to preserve _something_ I care about." She wiped away a tear that was sliding down her cheek.

Gin hugged her shoulders. "I know. But Voldemort is not known for keeping his word. I don't think he'd let anyone live."

Tonks nodded. "I was a fool. I know that, but now I'm so deep into this mess that I don't know if I can get out." She shrugged, wiping her eyes again. "Unless I get myself killed, of course."

Gin smiled, a little sadly. "Let me tell you what. Help _us_ when they come. I can guarantee you that even in the worst case scenario the Order survives for ten more years, and we _can _protect you. I can't guarantee anything else, even whether you'll live or not, but, then again, it's as good a way to get yourself killed as any."

Tonks nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

Gin took her by the shoulders. "I need you to hold Bellatrix for me. It will only be for a few minutes."

Tonks nodded again. "To tell you the truth, I've wanted to fight her for a _very _long time."

Not long after, everyone was assembled in the Great Hall.

"All right," Gin said. "According to the version of events I know, nearly all the death eaters come straight in through the front doors. I want guards there and all the way down the hall, but you all should fall back until you get to the Great Hall. That's a fairly good place to make a stand. Snape will come through a more difficult to find door because he knows the castle better. I'll be able to meet him. Other than that, I want everyone waiting for the death eaters in or on the way to the Great Hall. Except you, Harry."

Harry looked up from where he was sitting. "W-What do I do?"

"There is something in the castle that the death eaters want. You need to find it and destroy it, or at least bring it to me."

"I'm not going if you won't tell me what is," Harry said.

She nodded. "Of course. But it would be so much easier if I could just show you." And then she grabbed his arm, a little roughly.

He saw a small, rectangular box. It was made of a metal darker than silver, possibly iron, and it was deeply engraved with Celtic knot work along its border and edges, with two dragons on it, facing each other, their scales made of diamonds and black jewels he didn't recognize. A bird flew between them, holding in its claws a large sapphire. As he watched, two pale hands, belonging to a woman he could not see, opened it by touching the keyhole with her finger. The box opened, and Harry saw that it contained nothing, but was lined with black velvet, indented as if it had been filled for quite some time. The woman placed a small vial, filled with clear liquid and half empty, back in the box. Then she closed it, and Gin let go of his arm.

"Wow," he said quietly. "I don't know if I'll get used to you doing that anytime soon. Where can I find that box?"

"It is in a part of Dumbledore's office that is locked by password. The reason I needed you to wait for the attack to go looking for it is because I don't know the password, but the Order has a spy in Voldemort's ranks too, and he has spent the last few months finding out what it is. He needed this to contact us."

"Who told him to find out the password?" Harry asked.

"I did," Lupin said. He must have guessed what they were talking about. "I understand why Dumbledore wanted to keep it where it couldn't fall into the wrong hands, such as it is, but it needs to be destroyed. Now. On that note, Harry, you are by no means to bring it back. Destroy it as soon as you find it. Don't think twice about it, and you are not to open that box."

"Professor, I don't know if I can destroy something without even knowing what it is," Harry said.

"That's why I offered for him to bring it to me," Gin said.

"I know," Lupin said. "But it would be much more difficult to destroy it knowing what it is. I am having a difficult enough time farewelling the concept as it is. Harry, it must be enough for you to know that it is one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and must be destroyed."

"Why that box, or vial, or whatever?" Harry asked.

"Well," Lupin said. "I expect it was for several reasons. One, it is something belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw. Two, its nature is such that Lord Voldemort does not believe we would destroy it. Its continuing presence is evidence that Dumbledore couldn't, and heaven knows I couldn't, knowing what it is."

"We must not let Voldemort get it back," Gin added.

"Why is he coming for it now?" Harry asked.

"It is my belief," Gin said, clearly more to Lupin and those in the room who knew what the box contained than Harry, "That he intends to use it."

"Ah," Lupin said. "We've been prepared from that eventuality for some time. To answer a question you might have, Harry, I know so much about it because I was the one Dumbledore originally asked to steal it from the keeper to whom Voldemort had given it. He asked me to do so in order to keep us from the horrors that would result. That said, Harry, you need to destroy it. We _will_ tell you what it is, or was, when this is over."

Harry nodded.

"Now," Gin said. "Everyone to their posts. Harry, I want you to go up to the Headmaster's old office. Find a door with the tapestry of a black phoenix over it. Now take this-" she handed him a small stone- "And keep your hand on it always. When I know the password, I'll use it to tell you."

Harry nodded, and headed to Dumbledore's old office. He saw everyone else either position themselves behind tables in the Hall or head to the hallway outside the Great Hall. It seemed to take forever to reach the office.

Hurriedly spitting out the password, he climbed the stairs and entered the room. McGonagall had yet to redecorate it, and the only change he recognized was that Dumbledore's portrait was now on the wall. The Headmaster was smiling benevolently at him.

"Won't tell me the password?" he asked, looking at the tapestry he'd been charged to find. Dumbledore shook his head. "Why you trusted Snape?" He shook his head again. Harry sighed. "There's a portrait of you in the hallway leading up to the Great Hall, isn't there?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied.

"Could you go keep an eye on the battle for me?" Harry asked. He wanted to know if anyone was killed, and he didn't want the Headmaster watching him.

Dumbledore nodded and departed.

Harry removed the tapestry and sat down, leaning against the wall behind him. He held the stone in his hand. "And now," he said to himself, "I just have to wait."

"I would never have done that," one of the Headmasters said. "Run from a battle to hide here."

Harry glared at him. "Will you shut up?"

It was not long before Dumbledore returned. "There's been a heavy fire fight, and the Order's been driven back, but no one's hurt. I'm assuming you planned to fall back?" he said.

"Yes, sir," Harry said quietly. Dumbledore departed once again.

About five minutes later Dumbledore was back. "A young lady I don't know has left the hall. I believe, however, that she is a Weasley."

"That's great, sir," Harry said. Again the headmaster left. It wouldn't be long before Gin told him the password. He closed his eyes, praying no one got hurt. When he opened them again, Dumbledore was peering at him.

"If you would like a detailed explanation of what is occurring, Remus is dueling Fenrir Greyback, and is having quite a time keeping him from biting anyone, a young man I'm not certain I know is fighting Lucius, Nymphadora is dueling Bellatrix and I am afraid she may be loosing, several other death eaters are also locked in battle, a few are down, and Miss Granger has brought down several in the past few minutes."

So everything was going as planned. Harry mustered some enthusiasm. "Good. Go back now." And he did.

Harry suddenly felt the stone in his hand grow warm. He heard Gin's voice in his head. "Atrum Phoenix Carmen. That's the password." Then, the stone grew cold again.

Harry stood, held his hand above the door, and said, "Atrum Phoenix Carmen," very firmly. The door swung open. He found the box lying on the floor, covered in dust. He held out his wand, ready to destroy it. Suddenly, he heard a whisper, a woman, singing to him a language he did not know, but somehow he knew she was telling him to open the box. And he wanted to; the urge was almost over powering. He reached out, and, when he was inches from touching it, he remembered what he'd been told. "Don't think twice about it," Lupin had said. Harry knew he had to trust him. He destroyed it.

As soon as his spell hit the box a wave a blue light flew back at him, throwing him against the wall. He fell unconscious.

"Harry," he heard Dumbledore's voice wake him. "Harry!"

Harry's eyes snapped open. He pulled himself to a sitting position and stared at the empty doorway. The box and its contents had been destroyed.

Dumbledore was staring at him worriedly. "You must hurry," he said. "The battle is over."

Harry stood with great effort. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are both unconscious, and nearly everyone is hurt, but not badly. By the look of him, I think Greyback bit someone-"

Harry did not hear any more. He ran down the stairs and to the Great Hall, shouting before he even saw anything. "Is everyone all right?" he asked the room in general. He was met by grim looks from everyone, including Gin, who had picked up an unconscious Bellatrix Lestrange under the armpits and was carrying her to a table. Blood was streaming down the side of her face. "More or less," she said.

"Are Ron and Hermione all right?" he asked.

Madame Promfrey was bending over Hermione. "They'll both live," she said quietly.

"And-" Harry stopped. He was just seen the end of the Great Hall. An enormous hole had been blown through the wall, to the outside. "What the hell happened?" he asked after a moment.

Malfoy limped toward him. He was covered in dust and scratches and his leg looked like it was broken in a dozen places. "My dear father was in quite a hurry to leave," he said, looking a little triumphant.

"Did he do that to you?" Harry asked, gesturing at the other's leg.

Draco looked around and pointed at a large stone from the wall. "That did that to me," he said grimly. Madame Promfrey moved to him, clucking her tongue.

Harry looked around. "He said Greyback had bitten someone."

Lupin nodded. He too was limping, and he was cradling his arm. "He did. Me. Luckily, it wasn't the first time."

Madame Promfrey handed Gin a pot of same mixture she'd used on Bill, and Gin wordlessly crossed the room, made Lupin sit down, and began to smear it on his arm. Before he could say anything she told him, "In my opinion I will always be your wife, and it will always be my job to do this kind of thing. Now then, Harry, did you destroy it?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. Now, how are we on prisoners? I got Bellatrix, I know that. And we have Severus. What else?"

"Greyback, though not for long," Lupin said, then, "Ow." Gin was still dabbing his arm with the ointment. She slapped his uninjured arm playfully.

"Don't be such a baby," she said.

"We have a few less important death eaters," McGonagall said. "And this man is dead."

"Who did that?" Tonks asked. Her arm appeared to be broken and she was covered in dust, Harry would learn, from being thrown against the wall by a very powerful spell.

Malfoy limped over and pulled a small, sharp piece of the wall out of the man's chest, fairly grinning. "Friendly fire, of a kind."

"Now," Gin said, looking up from her work on Lupin's arm. "We'll apprise Hermione and Ron of the situation when they wake up, but until then I think everyone deserves an explanation."

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the long delay. I'm not sure when I'll update again. By the way, Atrum Phoenix Carmen means Dark Phoenix Song, according to my translator. Don't hurt me if I'm wrong.


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